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Publisher's Summary

One of the two major philosophical traditions of the twentieth century was linguistic analysis, derived largely from Wittgenstein. The other, diametrically opposed, came from Heidegger, and its fundamental question was, "What is the meaning of existence?" For Heidegger, this question could not simply be "analyzed away". It was beyond the reach of logic or reason. It was the primary "given" of every individual life. To confront it, Heidegger needed to develop an entire new form of philosophy.

In Heidegger in 90 Minutes, Paul Strathern offers a concise, expert account of Heidegger's life and ideas, and explains their influence on man's struggle to understand his existence in the world. The book also includes selections from Heidegger's work, a brief list of suggested readings for those who wish to delve deeper, and chronologies that place Heidegger within his own age and in the broader scheme of philosophy.

not a fair treatment

The first half of this is pretty good, giving mostly biographical details as the other reviewer said. However, the second half becomes a very uncharitable, diatribe against Heidegger, simply trying to show links between Heidegger's philosophy and his involvement with the Nazi party. This is evidence of the bias and closed-mindedness which analytic philosophers approach Continental philosophy in its worst form. Ironic how bigoted the author comes across in accusing Heidegger of anti-Semitic bigotry.

In 90 Minutes Series overview

If you could sum up Heidegger in 90 Minutes in three words, what would they be?aka Cliff Notes

Would you recommend Heidegger in 90 Minutes to your friends? Why or why not?Yes - I've listened to each book in the series about a major philosopher that is available on Audible. Strathern's books don't have the analytical depth found in Will Durant's "The Story of Philosophy" books, but he does a good job summarizing each philosopher's biography, major philosophical points, and criticisms. Additionally, Strathern's breadth is broader than Durant's in that he covers a greater number of philosophers. I believe that the time spent listening to these books has been well-spent.

My reviews for each book in the series about a philosopher are identical.

What about Robert Whitfield’s performance did you like?Voice is clear, well-modulated, and easily understood, even at 1 1/2 speed.

Mostly very critical

I was hoping to find out a little bit about why some people *like* Heidegger. This summary criticizes Heidegger's use of language, and is unsure he can really be said to mean anything behind the words. It notes that Heidegger ultimately didn't try to answer his chief questions about Dasein within his own lifetime. But surely Heidegger got somewhere in demonstrating that progress could be made within his conception of the problem.

Basically, I've heard three minute summaries of Heidegger which were more informative.